“It felt impossible”: Wexford filmmaker reflects on award-winning horror film

An award-winning horror short film written, directed and produced by Gorey native Cian Walsh has been released to the public, offering audiences the chance to see his work in full for the first time.

Crow’s Rest was released on YouTube on November 4, 2026, following a successful run on the film festival circuit, where it picked up the award for Best Student Film at the 2025 Underground Cinema International Film Festival.

The production was also named a finalist at the 2025 Underground Cinema Film Awards.

For Wexford native Cian, filmmaking is a passion that began at a young age, initially sparked by an interest in stop-motion animation.

“I initially became interested in filmmaking at a young age through stop motion. I always loved watching stop motion videos on YouTube and I was blown away discovering I could make them myself,” he told Wexford Weekly.

His interest developed further during his teenage years, when films such as Indiana Jones and Star Wars inspired him to explore the creative process behind movie-making.

“I really realised that I wanted to make films when I became obsessed with films like Indiana Jones and Star Wars as a teenager, and from watching the behind the scenes I found a love and appreciation for the work that went into making them and I found I wanted to do the same.”

Cian made his first short film at around 15 after attending a week-long filmmaking boot camp for teenagers at Gorey School of Art.

He subsequently began making films with friends, before going on to complete a three-year film course at Bray Institute of Further Education, where he developed his professional filmmaking skills and met many of the people he continues to work alongside today.

It was also during his teenage years that he discovered his passion for horror.

“After watching The Evil Dead (1982) I absolutely fell in love with the horror genre and knew what type of filmmaker I wanted to be, and has informed everything I have made since,” Cian told Wexford Weekly.

A demanding production

While Crow’s Rest has enjoyed recognition since its completion, bringing the project to life was no easy task.

Cian explained that the biggest challenge was balancing the production with the demands of his final year at film school.

He was responsible for writing, casting, producing, directing and editing the film while simultaneously working on several other projects.

“I had to go straight from producing and directing a 30 minute documentary into filming Crow’s Rest, at certain points juggling the two at once,” he said.

His class was divided into two production groups, with Cian’s team eventually establishing their own production company, FableHouse.

The group worked on a series of graduation films, with members regularly switching between different roles and productions.

“It was a very busy and stressful time, but we got through it and are better filmmakers for it,” Cian added.

Bringing together local and international talent

Cian wrote, directed and edited Crow’s Rest, working alongside a talented team of collaborators from his film course.

Ben Duffy served as Director of Photography, with Sean Moloney working as Assistant Camera. Alex Bergin was responsible for sound, while Nathan Gomez took on behind-the-scenes photography and the role of First Assistant Director.

Wexford-based special effects makeup artist Sadhbh Mallin was responsible for creating the film’s various horror effects, while Argentine composer Analia Lentini composed the score.

The film also featured an ensemble cast including Siobhán Dunne, Tom Maher, Daire McMahon and Dearbhla Hopper.

However, Cian believes one particular casting decision proved especially important to the film’s success.

“The success of the film mainly rested on the shoulders of one character, whose casting would make or break the film. We were beyond lucky to find exactly who we needed in David Wrest.”

He praised Wrest’s performance, describing it as something that anchors the entire production.

“His performance anchors the whole film and brings a level of depth, emotion and tragedy to this character that was more than we could have ever hoped for.”

Award-winning success

One of the biggest moments in Cian’s filmmaking journey came when Crow’s Rest was named Best Student Film at the 16th Underground Cinema International Film Festival.

“It was an amazing honour when my name was called out as the winner of Best Student Film at the 16th Underground Cinema International Film Festival. I couldn’t believe it.”

For Cian, the award represented much more than a trophy, providing reassurance that the hard work invested in the production had paid off.

“The making of this film was long, hard and stressful, and at several points during production it felt impossible, that everything was against us.”

“So holding that award in my hand was the affirmation I needed to know that it had all worked out in the end, that we had made something that people truly enjoyed and connected with.”

More films on the way

With Crow’s Rest now available to the public, Cian and his fellow filmmakers are looking towards the future.

Operating under the name FableHouse, the group hopes to continue producing short films before eventually progressing towards feature-length productions.

Their newly launched YouTube channel will serve as a home for their work once each production has completed its film festival run.

Over the coming months, audiences can expect to see four further short films released: Do It, 5:00, Fatal Deadline and Snapshot.

Cian is also working on a documentary titled Archiving Ireland, which explores the work of the Irish Film Archive and the importance of preserving film as part of the country’s cultural heritage.

The documentary has already received two Honourable Mention awards at the 17th Underground Cinema International Film Festival and the Disappear Here Film Festival.

Looking further ahead, FableHouse is already preparing its next productions.

“We are currently in pre-production on a few short films that we plan to shoot next year, so you’ll be hearing more from us in the near future,” Cian said.

For now, Crow’s Rest marks an exciting milestone for the Gorey filmmaker and his team, bringing their award-winning work to a wider audience.

Crow’s Rest is available to watch in full on YouTube, with further productions from FableHouse expected over the coming months.

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